Englerophytum magalismontanum
Encyclopedia
Englerophytum magalismontanum (Sond.) T.D.Penn., is an evergreen tree usually growing in rocky places, with a wide distribution from northern KwaZulu-Natal
along the east coast and into the interior, northwards into tropical Africa.
Belonging to the family Sapotaceae
with some 35 genera and 600 odd species, mostly trees with leathery, entire leaves and found throughout the tropics and subtropics, rich in latex and yielding substances like gutta-percha
and balatá
.
E. magalismontanum at various times in the past was known under the names Bequaertiodendron magalismontanum, Pouteria magalismontana and Chrysophyllum magalismontanum - the specific name referring to the Magaliesberg
from where the species was first described. This tree is usually known by its Afrikaans name stamvrug ("stem fruit") which refers to its habit of bearing densely clustered fruit on the trunk and thicker branches, a common feature of this family. The fruits are tasty and sweet with very little pink flesh, rich in latex and leathery-skinned. The seed is large, smooth and hard, covered with a soft membrane. The flowers are similarly crowded on the trunk and branches, and smell strongly of fermenting honey. Flowers are bisexual.
Stamvrug trees at maturity can range from 1 metre tall on exposed dip slopes with very little soil and prone to stunting by fire, to about 15 metres in the shelter of kloofs (gorges) with ample water and deep soil. Crowns are densely-leafy and rounded, branched almost to the base, with leaves crowded at ends of branches, densely covered in golden-brown velvety hairs below, and often with a whitish indumentum above. Closely related to Englerophytum natalense (Sond.) T.D.Penn. and Mimusops zeyheri
Sond. and often found in association with the latter. The specific name refers to the Magaliesberg
where the tree was first found and described, and commonly occurs. The species is a larval food plant for the butterfly Pseudacraea boisduvalii trimeni
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
along the east coast and into the interior, northwards into tropical Africa.
Belonging to the family Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae is a family of flowering plants, belonging to order Ericales. The family includes approximately 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in approximately 65 genera . Distribution is pantropical....
with some 35 genera and 600 odd species, mostly trees with leathery, entire leaves and found throughout the tropics and subtropics, rich in latex and yielding substances like gutta-percha
Gutta-percha
Gutta-percha is a genus of tropical trees native to Southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to the Malay Peninsula and east to the Solomon Islands. The same term is used to refer to an inelastic natural latex produced from the sap of these trees, particularly from the species...
and balatá
Balatá
Manilkara bidentata is a species of Manilkara native to a large area of northern South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Common names include balatá, ausubo, massaranduba, and "cow-tree"....
.
E. magalismontanum at various times in the past was known under the names Bequaertiodendron magalismontanum, Pouteria magalismontana and Chrysophyllum magalismontanum - the specific name referring to the Magaliesberg
Magaliesberg
The Magaliesberg is a mountain range extending from Pretoria in the north of the Gauteng Province to a point south of Pilanesberg, in the North West Province, South Africa...
from where the species was first described. This tree is usually known by its Afrikaans name stamvrug ("stem fruit") which refers to its habit of bearing densely clustered fruit on the trunk and thicker branches, a common feature of this family. The fruits are tasty and sweet with very little pink flesh, rich in latex and leathery-skinned. The seed is large, smooth and hard, covered with a soft membrane. The flowers are similarly crowded on the trunk and branches, and smell strongly of fermenting honey. Flowers are bisexual.
Stamvrug trees at maturity can range from 1 metre tall on exposed dip slopes with very little soil and prone to stunting by fire, to about 15 metres in the shelter of kloofs (gorges) with ample water and deep soil. Crowns are densely-leafy and rounded, branched almost to the base, with leaves crowded at ends of branches, densely covered in golden-brown velvety hairs below, and often with a whitish indumentum above. Closely related to Englerophytum natalense (Sond.) T.D.Penn. and Mimusops zeyheri
Mimusops zeyheri
Mimusops zeyheri is a medium-sized evergreen tree belonging to the Sapotaceae family and widely distributed in rocky places from the east coast of southern Africa, inland and northwards to tropical Africa. Commonly known as milkwood or Transvaal Red Milkwood, its leaves are leathery and entire....
Sond. and often found in association with the latter. The specific name refers to the Magaliesberg
Magaliesberg
The Magaliesberg is a mountain range extending from Pretoria in the north of the Gauteng Province to a point south of Pilanesberg, in the North West Province, South Africa...
where the tree was first found and described, and commonly occurs. The species is a larval food plant for the butterfly Pseudacraea boisduvalii trimeni